The Effect of Chitosan and Tannin Treatment on the Natural Dyeing using Loess

Tannin treatment has been used for improving the color fastness of dyed materials. In natural dyeing, the tannin treatment is highly effective in improving the fastness. The chitosan treatment also improves the fastness and depth of shade in natural dyeing. In this study, the effects of tannin and chitosan pre-treatment on the color and fastness in loess dyeing were investigated. Cotton woven fabric specimens and cotton knit fabric specimens were pre-treated with chitosan solution in acetic acid, and the specimens were then treated with or without tannin. The specimens were finally dyed with loess. The tannin treatment decreased the K/S values, while the chitosan treatment increased the K/S. Both the tannin treatment and the chitosan treatment increased the wash fastness and light fastness. In tannin treatment, tannin component and Fe component of loess may react together to decrease the lightness and develop dark color. For maintaining inherent color of the loess, it is much preferable to employ chitosan treatment rather than tannin treatment.